Bed units



G. POFFERI BED UNITS June 2, 1970 //VV/V roe:

LIMA/(A M o POF/FAJ/ 2 ATTURAEYS.

4 Sheets-Sheet l G. POFFERI June 2, 1970 BED UNITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 12, 1968 NIH [M7029 V/ l F 0 F W 0 P y 0 Z c M W/ 9.

e. POFFERI 3,514,794

BED UNITS June 2, 1970 6 l m W 90 I W 7 A TTURNE Y3 G. POF'FERI BED UNITS June 2, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Aug. 12, 1968 //v vz/v 70/? m/mwz 0 POF/EH/ 3% A T TURNEY5.

United States Patent 07 3,514,794 BED UNITS Giancarlo Potferi, Pistoia, Italy, assignor to Ital-Bed Costruzione Lettie e Aflini S.r.l., S. Pierino, Pistoia, Italy, an Italian corporate body Filed Aug. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 752,013 Int. Cl. A47c 17/40; A47b 83/00 U.S. Cl. 2 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hospital bed unit includes a panel mounted on two horizontal channels containing electrical conductors and fluid conduits. Sockets and control apparatus mounted on the panel are connected to the electrical conductors and fluid conduits. A foot operated hook mounted on the panel can engage one of the lower cross-beams of a bed and so lock the bed to the panel. Both bed and panel are provided with a variety of clamps to secure various accessories to the bed and panel.

The present invention relates to improved bed units, in particular for hospitals, which are used in conjunction with two horizontal wall channels which carry various electrical conductors and fluid conduits.

An object of the invention is to provide a bed unit which can be adapted to fulfill the requirements of any type of hospital or clinic or the requirement of any patient.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bed unit which can be easily moved along the wall into different positions so as to insure a large number of possible arrangements of a plurality of bed units in the same space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a bed unit to be connected to a wall having two horizontal channels containing electrical conductors and fluid conduits, said bed unit comprising, a panel pivotally mounted with respect to one of said channels and detachably mounted with respect to the other of said channels, control means mounted on said panel and connected to the electrical conductors and fluid conduits in said channels, hook means mounted with respect to said panel for angular movement about a horizontal axis, means biasing said hook means upwardly into a predetermined position, a lever connected to said hook means and operative to move said hook means downwardly against the bias of the biasing means, a bed frame having first and second uprights forming the head of the bed and third and fourth uprights forming the foot of the bed and at least one cross-beam interconnecting said first and second uprights, said cross-beam being engageable with said hook means to lock said bed to said panel, said bed being releasable from said panel by operation of said lever, first and second tool clamping means respectively mounted on said first and second uprights, third and fourth tool clamping means respectively mounted on said panel, first and second implement-receiving sleeves mounted to extend into said panel, and at least one implement supporting clamp mounted on a said upright..

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bed unit;

FIG. 2 shows a fragmentary perspective view of the bed unit;

FIG. 3 shows a fragmentary view of a portion of the bed frame which has been inclined;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a panel forming part of the unit, and an exploded view of some imple ments which can be mounted on the panel;

Patented June 2, 1970 FIG. 5 shows a section on the line VV of FIG. 4, in which an implement has been mounted on the panel;

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the bed foot section and an implement which can be mounted thereon; I

FIG. 7 shows a fragmentary plan view of an assembly of bed units;

FIG. 8 shows a front view VIIIVIII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a fragmentary section taken on the line IXIX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a lowered panel;

FIG. 11 shows a fragmentary perspective view of the foot portion of the bed;

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the bed including longitudinal sides;

FIG. 13 shows a clamp assembly;

FIG. 14 shows the clamp assembly in an exploded view; and

FIG. 15 shows the clamp assembly in different positions.

DESCRIPTION PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings a vertical wall P, arranged to receive a plurality of bed units has two horizontal channels 1A, 1B located thereon. The channels are designed to accommodate electric conductors for diflerent utilities (general electric power supplies, lighting, bell telephone and/or interphone and similar apparatus), as well as fluid conduits (for carrying such fluids as oxygen and compressed air), both the electrical conductors and the fluid conduits are provided with tappings at intervals so that the facilities can be obtained for each bed. Another purpose of the two channels 1A and 1B is to receive panels pertaining to each bed unit, the panels being such that they can be located in any desired position along the wall. When the bed units are spaced a greater distance apart than the minimum width of the panels required for each bed, additional spacer panels covering the channels 1A and 1B between two adjacent beds may be provided. The panels pertaining to each bed unit are the panels 3, and 5.

The auxiliary panel 3, which is taller than the panel 5, carries a small cabinet 7 and a flexible partition 9, which is described in our copending application Ser. No. 751,104, filed Aug. 8, 1968 (corresponding to Italian applications Nos. 4,138/67 and 3,967/68. v

The panel 5, which is shorter than the panel 3, is arranged to engage the bed and it is provided with electric push-buttons, other electric control devices, sockets for different fluids, and other equipments or apparatus as will be hereinafter described. In particular, the panel 5, which is in the form of a box having one side open, is provided with a pair of push-button panels 11 for electric controls, with spaces provided for additional electric members such as a network for interphones and the like. The push button panels 11 are mounted adjacent the upper corners of the panel 5. A night-light 13 is mounted towards the base of the panel 5. Fluid sockets (for oxygen, compressed air and the like) may be provided on the panel front for use relating to the bed unit; the fluid sockets may for example be mounted on one of the push-button panels as shown at 11A (see FIG. 2). In the lower portion of the panel 5 hook means in the form of two projecting hook members 15 are provided to engage a cross-beam of the bed head section, as will be hereinafter described; these hooks 15 are biased resiliently upwardly and have an outer profile the forward portion of which enables the hooks to be lowered in a resilient manner, when the bed head section is pushed towards the panel 5; the hooks rise resiliently to locking engagement with the head section cross-beam when the cross-beam of the bed has traversed the forward profiled portion to engage a rearward taken on the line 3 stepped portion and the head section meets the panel 5. A lever or pedal 15A is provided which can be operated to lower the hooks 15, when the bed is to be released. The pedal 15A and the hooks 15 are rigidly assembled on a transverse shaft 15B (see FIG. 10), which is angularly biased by biasing means in the form of a spring.

The panel has in its upper portion two sleeves 17 (see especially FIG. 4) to support a replaceable implement such as the implement 19 of FIGS. 1 and 5, or the implement 20 of FIG. 4, or the implement 21 of FIG. 4. Each of the aforesaid implements has two legs such as those denoted by 19A, or 20A, or 21A of the respective implements 19, 20 and 21. The legs 19A of the implement 19 may be inserted into the sleeves 17, to extend inwardly of the panel 5 and be secured to the base of the panel 5 (see FIG. 5.) The implement 19 (see FIG. 1) provides a low engagement bar 19B, a support for a lighting apparatus 22, and a high engagement bar 23. The high engagement bar may for example support a handle by means of a flexible belt. The implement 20, which can be inserted in the sleeves 17 instead of the implement 19 (see FIG. 4) includes, besides the legs 20A a cross beam 20B and a lighting apparatus 24. In a modification the implement 21 may be inserted in the sleeves 17 which implement is provided with, besides the legs 21A, a single crossbeam 21B. The implement 21 could also be combined with the implement 20 (see FIG. 4). As shown in particular in FIG. 5, the legs 19A or 20A or 21A may be completely inserted into the interior of the panel 5 so as to be secured for example by a screw 7 to the lower wall of the panel 5.

The panel 5 supports on each side of the pair of sleeves 17 a tool clamp 29, each of which may be used to clamp supporting rods especially but not exclusively for phleboclysis (blood transfusion) operations. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. in particular rods 31 which may be supported in the clamps 29 each have an upper portion which can be divided in two divergent lengths 31A and each length forming an open ring support 33. The open ring support 33 may be used independently, for example, to hold implements or pipes, or they may be coupled by the superimposition of the lengths 31A so as as to form a closed ring. The two lengths 31A of each rod may be housed, when coupled together within a corresponding clamp 29.

The panel 5 and the panel 3 are secured to the two channels 1A and 1B with an arrangement disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 751,105, filed Aug. 8, 1968, now abandoned (corresponding to Italian patent application No. 4704/67). The panel 5 (and advantageously also the panel 3) is connected to the lower channel 1B by -,means of a horizontal hinge 35 (see FIG. 9) and the 1 upper portion of the panel 5 is engaged by screw means or the like to the upper channel 1A. In this way, the panel 5 may be lowered by rotation about the hinge 35 to reach the position indicated by 5X and beyond to prov-1de access to the rear of the panel for the purpose of inspections, repair-s, cleaning and the like.

Electricconductor sockets and fluid conduits socket of the apparatus and plugs mounted on the panel and on -the push-button panels 11 may be connected to respective ,tapping points of the channels 1A, 1B. The tapping of the conductors contained in the channels 1A, 1B are provided ,at several points and the connectors in the panel may be flexible to allow the panel 5 and consequently the bed unit ,to be moved to different positions along the wall.

The bed proper includes a head section 37, a bed frame 39 and a foot section 41.

The bed head section includes two uprights 37A conlower end of each upright 37A and a joining head at the upper end of each upright for purposes as will be hereinafter described.

The foot section of the bed includes two uprights 41A and two cross-beams 41 B. The upper ends of the uprights 41A support a removable upper portion 41C. The upper portion 410 of the foot section includes clamps 43 similar to those denoted by 29, and a support 41E for a panel 45 which may, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 6, be capable of assuming a horizontal position or a lowered vertical position; the panel 45 may be locked in the horizontal positive by an angularly movable strut 47, linked to the upper portion 41C.

The bed frame 39 of rectangular configuration can be engaged and fixed into the head and foot sections by means of wedge members projecting from the frame which cooperate with supports 37F and 41F respectively in the head section and foot section. The frame includes a portion 39A which is angularly movable about pivots 39B to incline the portion of the bed adjacent the head section. A wire support mesh (not shown) of the conventional type is anchored to the frame 39 and to the portion 39A.

The bed proper formed by the portions 37, 39, 41, can be moved on the castors 37E by raising the foot section 41. In a modification the foot section can be provided with castors such as castors 37E. The bed, when pushed towards the panel 5, is engaged by the hooks 15 which lock the cross-beam 37C. The engagement may be automatic by the provision of profiled hooks 15 and of the resilient trip as described, or it may be aided by the operation of the pedal 15A, which lowers the hooks for engagement with the bed. For releasing the bed it is suificient to depress the pedal 15A and thereby the hooks 15, in such a manner as to allow the release and the withdrawal of the bed.

In FIG. 11 it is shown how the clamps 43, assembled on the foot section 41, may accommodate supporting members such as those denoted by 31, 33 and 33A which are mounted on the panel 5.

' FIGS. 12 to 15 show implement supporting clamp assemblies 49 which clamp to the bed various accessories. These clamp assemblies 49 are formed in two portions 49A, 49B, and can be coupled together by means of screws 49C to form in the assembly a housing 49D for the engagement to an enlarged end 37X of each of the uprights 37A of the head section 37 and/or of each of the uprights 41A of the foot section 41. A second housing 49E is provided to receive the fixing ends of two longitudinal sides 51, arranged to flank the bed frame for use with, for example, violent patients. An additional housing 49F is provided to receive a support 53 for rollers or wheels 55 (see FIG. 13), of traction members, used in orthopedia. The support 53 may be locked in the housing 49F by means of a pressure screw 49G or the like. The housing 49D is so profiled to enable the clamp assembly 49 to be mounted in four diiferent positions shown in phantom lines in FIG. 15.

-Itis apparent that the bed so equipped can be adapted to fulfill the requirements of any type of hospital or clinic, or the requirement of any patient.

The arrangement by means of which the panels can be moved along the wall and connected in different positions insures a large number of possible arrangements in the same space.

I claim:

1. In a bed unit adapted to be connected to a wall carrying two horizontal channels containing electrical conductors and fluid conduits,

a panel,

means mounting said panel pivotally with respect to one of said channels and detachably with respect to the other of said channels,

control means mounted on said panel,

means connecting said control means with the electrical conductors and fluid conduits in said channels, hook means,

means mounting said hook means with respect to said panel for angular movement about a horizontal axis,

means biasing said hook means upwardly into a predetermined position,

a level connected to said hook means and operative to move said hook means downwardly against the biasing means,

a bed frame having first and second uprights forming part of the head of the bed,

third and fourth uprights forming part of the foot of the bed, and

a cross-beam interconnecting said first and second up rights said cross-beam being engageable with said hook means to lock said bed to said panel, said bed being releaseable from said panel by operation of said level,

first and second tool clamping means respectively mounted on said second and third uprights,

third and fourth tool clamping means respectively mounted on said panel,

first and second implement-receiving sleeves mounted to extend into said panel, and

at least one implement-supporting clamp mounted on a said upright.

2. A bed unit according to claim 1 wherein each said upright includes an enlarged head portion adapted to receive said implement-supporting clamp, said clamp being adapted to engage said enlarged head portion in book means adapted to engage the cross-beam of said bed and lock said bed to said panel,

means mounting said hook means with respect to said panel for angular movement about a horizontal axis,

means biasing said hook means upwardly towards a predetermined position, and

means connected to said hook means and operative to move said hook means downwardly whereby to release said cross-beam and thereby said bed from said panel.

5. A wall unit according to claim 4 wherein said hook means includes a member having a forward profiled portion, and a rearward stepped portion, said cross-beam being adapted to engage the forward profiled portion of said member when said bed is urged towards said panel and by engagement with the forward profiled portion to urge said hook means downwardly, said rearward stepped portion thereafter engaging said cross-beamto lock said bed to said panel.

6. A wall unit according to claim 4 wherein said means mounting said panel with respect to said channel includes,

pivotal means pivotally mounting said panel with respect of one of said channels, and

securing means detachably mounting said panel to the other of said channels.

7. A wall unit according to claim 4 including control means mounted on said panel, and

means connecting said control means with the electrical conductors and to fluid connectors in said channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,770,813 11/1956 Marzillier s z 2,888,687 6/1959 Lindsey 5 2 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

